WHOLE WHEAT NAAN ON THE STOVETOP

This Whole Wheat Naan recipe just made the Indian Naan bread healthier and easier! No yeast, no fermentation and no oven/tandoor required for this instant whole wheat naan which does not compromise on the taste and spongy texture of a traditional naan made in the tandoori.

I have been MIA for almost a week. But shooting food, to be precise, 500 photographs in 3 short days (no, I did not eat that much food guys! It was for a restauranteur friend of mine) would do that to you too, right? I mean, by the nth photograph, I was already squeezing every drop of creativity out of me to style the photograph differently and make it look like you want to dive into it immediately. And then, came the dreams at night where I was doing the same food styling all over again! Phew! I needed a giant break to put me back on track and thus you have the reason for me being absent from your lives the past week.

What did I do for my break? We drove to Austin, TX and enjoyed some clubbing, some amazing Austin nightlife, the food trucks, and the food served with no prim napkins, spoons and forks. Food on my break from food? Well, what can I say? The apple does not fall far from the tree 😀

So, that’s about it. Now that you are all caught up with the happenings in my life and are unable to stop ogling the naan pictures, may be it is time to talk about the whole wheat naan recipe now?

Naan or fondly known as the naan bread, it has been the forerunner of Indian cuisine around the world. For Indians, it is mostly a part of their eat-out or restaurant menu too because of the clay oven or tandoor required to make this spongy delicacy. Considering that it is traditionally made with all purpose flour or maida, it is deemed not-so-healthy too.

However, this easy naan bread recipe uses all whole wheat flour and is made on a regular stove top and a skillet. The only thing to bear in mind is that your family will be demanding whole wheat naans from you every other day! I know I made them twice already in the past week. Not that it is difficult to make but…. Brace yourself! 😀

If you are looking for some curry recipes to go with the naan, here are a couple of my favorites:

Add the oil and yogurt and mix well. You should be able to make dough. While doing so, if the mixture is too dry, add a tbsp of water at a time to make smooth dough.

Cover and set aside. Let the dough rest for about 20-30 minutes.

Separate the dough into 5-6 golf ball sized dough balls.

While working with one dough ball, keep the rest covered to make sure they do not dry up.

Meanwhile heat up a flat skillet or pan (tawa) on medium high heat.

Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough ball into a disc with a light hand. Dust your work table with flour to help you with the rolling process.

Sprinkle sesame seeds and cilantro and mint over the disc. Press them onto it softly.

Flip the disc and brush the other side (not the one with sesame on it) with some water.

Transfer the wet side onto the hot skillet (tawa). Cover it with a lid (big enough to cover the naan/skillet fully) immediately.

You will notice that the naan begins to puff up with bubbles (the characteristic bubbles on a naan).

After about 30-45 seconds, uncover and add a dollop of butter (if using).

Flip the naan and cook the sesame coated side for about 30-45 seconds.

Transfer the naan into a bread basket and keep covered.

Serve immediately with a side of spicy curry. For tips on making the naan ahead of time, check the, “my take” section.

My Take:

This healthier version of naan does not use any all purpose flour (or maida) that is a conventional ingredient of Naan. If you like the restaurant style naan but are too health conscious to use AP flour (maida) , use half of whole wheat and half AP flour.

If you want to make the naans ahead of time, you can do it. Keep it covered and serve by heating it up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds. You can even make them a day earlier.

My tawa pakora didn’t come out like yours and the flour didn’t cover the veg as in yours. Yours seemed crunchier and more like pakoras. Any tips? Also do you know how to make dairy free coconut yogurt?

Hi Zarina,
The reason behind less rispy pakoras could be the water content in the veggies. The options I can think of are these:
1) Squeeze out more water from veggies
2) Increase the qnty of rice flour
3) If you want to stay away from more rice flour, you could add sooji (cream of wheat) to add the crispiness.

hope this helps. About the, dairy free coconut yogurt, I haven’t tried any yet. I will surely email it to you when I find a good recipe 🙂